The weather forecaster told about the weather for the May holidays

May ends the spring season in Russia and has traditionally become one of the most anticipated periods for travel and recreation. It is on the May holidays that the peak of tourist activity occurs, when Russians plan trips to nature and travel around the country. However, despite the approaching summer heat, weather conditions remain unstable and largely depend on cyclones. Izvestia reports on how many days Russians rest in May and what the weather will be like for the May holidays in 2026.

When Russians are vacationing in May 2026

In 2026, the traditional May holidays will be divided into two periods. The first part of the holiday is connected with the Spring and Labor Holidays. This year, May 1 falls on a Friday, so the first long weekend will last for three days — from May 1 to May 3 inclusive.

The second part of the holiday falls on Victory Day — May 9th. The holiday falls on a Saturday. Due to the postponement of the weekend to Monday, May 11, Russians will also rest for three days in a row.

Thus, this year's May holidays are divided into two periods of three days each: from 1 to 3 May and from 9 to 11 May. They will be one of the shortest in the last eight years.

However, in addition to weekends, Russians are expected to spend two short weeks: in the last week of April, from April 27 to April 30 (Monday to Thursday), and the first week after the holidays, from May 12 to May 15 (Tuesday to Friday).

What will May 2026 look like in Russia?

The temperature regime in May in most of Russia will remain within the limits of the climatic norm, which corresponds to the typical picture for the end of spring. However, higher values are possible in some regions. According to the forecast of the Hydrometeorological Center, a slight excess of average values is possible in the Far East, in particular in the Trans-Baikal Territory, the Amur Region and in the south of Yakutia.

Top for your money: China, Turkey and Belarus topped the ranking of trips to the May holidays

Of the Russian destinations, travelers prefer two capitals, Krasnodar and Sochi.

The precipitation regime, as forecasters note, will be heterogeneous and will be distributed unevenly across the country. An increased chance of rain is forecast in the Leningrad Region, Karelia, in the east of the Northwestern Federal District, as well as in several regions of the Volga region, Siberia and the Urals. More frequent precipitation is possible in these areas, which should be taken into account when planning trips.

At the same time, the opposite situation is expected in a number of regions. In the Arkhangelsk region, in the north-east of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, as well as in the western and central regions of Yakutia, forecasters predict a shortage of precipitation. This means that the weather will be drier in late spring.

Moscow weather forecast for May holidays

According to the RU-METEO service, sunny days are expected in the capital region on the weekend of May 2 and 3. Cloudy weather will set in on May 1st and 9th, as well as on the pre-holiday day, May 8th. The air temperature will warm up to +15... +16 degrees these days. Later, during the first week after May Day, rains are possible.

In total, eight sunny days and 13 days with precipitation are expected in the last month of spring. At the same time, the website clarifies that the weather forecast for May 2026 in Moscow and the region was created based on weather monitoring over the past 10 years.

Thus, the beginning of the May holidays may take place in moderately cool and unstable weather. Meanwhile, as Tatiana Pozdnyakova, chief specialist of the Meteonovosti news agency, told Izvestia, all the calculations currently available give only a preliminary idea of the weather in May.

Dance with a rake: how much will the "May cottager set" cost

The cool April had a negative impact on sales of gardening equipment

"The forecast for May will be updated closer to the end of April. It is during this period that the atmospheric processes that determine the weather in late spring will become clear. According to current model calculations, partly cloudy weather is expected on May 1-2, with occasional showers, and air temperatures of +11... +13 degrees during the day and +6... +8 degrees at night," the forecaster noted.

She added that the probability of such a scenario in the first days of the month is estimated at about 65-70%.

When will the official forecast be available?

According to Anatoly Tsygankov, head of the Russian Hydrometeorological Center's crisis management department, the final weather forecasts for the May holidays will be formed in close proximity to the dates themselves. He noted that cyclones, which will begin to form only in the second half of April, will have a key impact on weather conditions.

"According to theory, a cyclone lives for seven days, but which one will determine the weather, for example, on May 1, is not yet known. Even the existing models have nothing to calculate yet, since the objects that will determine the nature of precipitation and temperature fluctuations at the beginning of the month have not yet been formed. These cyclones will begin to form only on April 22-23, so the official forecast for the May holidays will appear no earlier than April 24," he told Izvestia.

Taking these factors into account, forecasters recommend focusing on updated short-term forecasts and taking into account the variability of spring weather.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.